Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 19
Biostimulants & Micronutrients
STEP 5
In 2008, I started The Organic Gardener's Pantry to sell microbial inoculants and most of
the fascinating products outlined in this chapter. I moved in 2010, but my friend Christina
still has the business going strong. One of the bonuses of getting these products out into the
world was that I was able to see how effective they could be since I had hundreds of clients
using them.
There are more than 80 elements, many of which are important in small amounts as cata-
lysts and enzymes in the soil and plants. These are called trace minerals or micronutrients,
and examples are iron, manganese, copper, molybdenum and selenium. Our food supply is
tremendously lacking in most of these, and our health is suffering as a result. A very well-
made compost with many different raw materials can supply many of these nutrients, but
we can go a little further to make sure they're there and available to microbes and plants.
Farmers and market gardeners may benefit from analyzing some of these nutrients in the
soil and plants, and then taking action to supply one or a few of them with specific
products. This can be beneficial, but I have thus far relied on compost, rock dust and mi-
crobes to do the work, plus biostimulants. Sea minerals, kelp and fish fertilizer all supply
most or all of these micronutrients.
There are many organic and synthetic micronutrient blends on the market, some of
which are good. I don't tend to use them because there are plenty of “whole food” options
available. What I mean is that I would rather get my own nutrients from food than from a
multivitamin as much as possible, and I would rather get my soil's trace minerals from kelp
and ocean water than from a synthetic or even an organic formula. In fact, one of the main
reasons it's recommended that we take a multivitamin is because these trace minerals are
lacking in our food supply. Our goal here is to bring them back into the food we grow.
Biostimulants often contain many trace minerals, but they also stimulate biological pro-
cesses in more ways than just through nutrients. Their use can result in healthier microor-
ganisms, better soil, and improved plant growth, even when applied in small quantities.
While they may contain vitamins and minerals, the benefits they bring are often attributed
